Humorist Barry entertains packed crowd in Phila

Humor columnist and best-selling author Dave Barry entertained a packed house in the Performing Arts Center at Kent State University at Tuscarawas on Tuesday with “The Wit and Wisdom of Dave Barry” as part of the Voices of Distinction series.

Humor columnist and best-selling author Dave Barry entertained a packed house in the Performing Arts Center at Kent State University at Tuscarawas on Tuesday with “The Wit and Wisdom of Dave Barry” as part of the Voices of Distinction series.

It was his second appearance in the series — his presentation in April 2005 was such a hit that he was asked to return. Tuesday’s hour-long presentation didn’t disappoint. The audience laughed heartily throughout as the talented writer also showed he can tell funny stories from the stage.

Lynn and Judy Capper traveled from Carrollton to take in the show. Lynn said his wife is a huge Barry fan.

“He’s one of the funniest people,” she said. “I read his stories and laugh out loud.”

Debbie French of Uhrichsville saw Barry for the second time in Tuscarawas County. She had a couple of his books in her hand heading into the show.

“He is pretty funny,” she said. “When he was here the first time, I had to watch in the student union because of the overflow crowd.”

Prior to the presentation Barry said in an interview with the media that he had a rough draft of what he was going to say but had “no actual topic.”

Tuesday night Barry took the audience on a journey of laughs, touching on living in Miami, Fla., talking with first lady Barbara Bush on the campaign trail, embarrassing his kids, how North Dakota named a sewage lift station in his honor, the 2012 election, a colonoscopy, women in childbirth, Oregon dealing with a whale that had washed up on the beach, and the difference between what goes on in the minds of men and women.

During the media session, he said he knew he always wanted to write and spent some of his early years working at a suburban Philadelphia daily newspaper where he did things such as write obituaries, cover fires and all the things a news reporter does. He also said he started to write some humor columns, and a piece that ran in the Philadelphia Inquirer generated a lot of attention.

“Starting in the early ‘80s, I was able to write nothing but humor,” he said.

He said he plans on covering both political conventions this year and says he will be running for president in the manner that “if people want to send cash contributions” to him.

He also will be covering the Olympics.

He said he has been able to meet a lot of people over the years and said some of the highlights have been playing a song with Bruce Springsteen, and also Roger McGuinn (of The Byrds fame). He also got a call from Steve Martin, who asked him to be one of the writers for the comedian when he hosted the Oscars.

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For 25 years, Barry was a syndicated columnist whose work appeared in more than 500 newspapers — including The Times-Reporter — in the United States and abroad. He was a columnist for the Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. In 1988, he won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary.

A television comedy show from 1993-97, “Dave’s World,” starred Harry Anderson “as a taller version of himself,” Barry said.

Barry also has written more than 30 books. His most recent releases are “Lunatics,” co-written with Alan Zweibel, and a children’s book, “The Bridge to Never Land,” co-written with Ridely Pearson. Currently, Barry is working on a comedy novel about a wedding that goes wrong in Miami.